Working for this incredible research journal and interacting with the Office of Undergraduate Research (O.U.R.), each one of the editors has had an unparalleled, unique experience which has made us proud to work with each other, to work for the students who entrust us with their work, and to provide for our ever-widening audience. This journal and the O.U.R. have given us and our published authors the amazing opportunity to grow and evolve as individuals—to explore our ideas through research, to express those ideas through the tips of our fingers. From New York to London, from the first ever volume of this journal to the one you now hold in your hands, here stands the work of creative minds and dedicated men and women who seek to open your eyes to aspects of the world and the mind to which you might otherwise be unaware. In one way or another, our lives have been personally touched by the experiences and knowledge we have been able to accrue, and now, we seek to touch your lives with the sixth volume of Forbes & Fifth.

The volume you now have in your hands may be the most mature volume of Forbes & Fifth yet. Each submission we received this period contained a distinct, creative, and intelligent voice behind it, making it ever more difficult to choose those works most compelling and encompassing of the essence and purpose of our magazine. We seek passion and creativity, daring and hilarity, alongside the intense and studious. However, the creation of this journal has not so much to do with the way we pick these pieces from the submission pool, but depends rather more on the hard work and talent of the writers and researchers who have submitted their works. If it was not for their bravery in endeavoring their research and stretching that extra limb in the act of submission (which in itself is the brave act of exposing their passions and their true selves to the world), the magazine you hold in your hand would not have anywhere near its present caliber. If anything, we the editors have been extremely blessed to partake in this work throughout the last three years of Forbes & Fifth’s existence. There is only better yet to come.

We offer many thanks to the University of Pittsburgh, the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Undergraduate Research, our writers, and most importantly, thank you, dear reader. Without you, we would not have a reason to compile this journal in the first place. Be excited for the emotional and intellectual journeys you are about to undertake. We’re about to rock your socks.

Now, delve into an adventure. The sixth volume of Forbes & Fifth awaits you.

“The work of human works is to establish, in and by means of each one of us, an absolutely original center in which the universe reflects itself in a unique and inimitable way.” — Pierre Tielhard de Chardin